USS Titania (AK-55/AKA-13) was an named after Titania, one of the moons of the planet Uranus. She served as a commissioned ship for 13 years, beginning in 1942.
History
Launch and training exercises
Titania was laid down as Harry Culbreath under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 132) on 25 October 1941 at Kearny, N.J., by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.; renamed Titania and designated AK-55 on 16 February 1942; launched on 28 February 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Bennett Champ Clark; acquired by the United States Navy on 27 March 1942; and commissioned on 27 May 1942.
Titania began her career plying coastal waters between New York and Norfolk during the summer of 1942. On 19 September, the new cargo vessel got under way from Hampton Roads for training in Chesapeake Bay; then, in October, she conducted landing exercises to prepare for the Allied invasion of North Africa.
World War II service
North Africa, 1942
Late in November, the Titania departed from Norfolk and steamed eastward to carry out her part in Operation Torch. As a member of the Southern Attack Group, she arrived in the transport area eight miles from Safi, Morocco, around midnight on 7 November 1942. Early in the morning, a landing craft from the Titania rescued the crew of a tank landing craft which had been destroyed by a gasoline explosion. In the afternoon, she entered Safi Harbor. Her crew began discharging vital equipment and stores; and, 78 hours later, they had unloaded her entire combat cargo. On the afternoon of 12 November the Titania, escorted by the destroyer , steaming toward Fedhala, Morocco, was attacked by the German (Kriegsmarine) U-boat but suffered from no damage. A few days later, after delivering landing craft at Fedhala, the Titania steamed home.
In the Pacific Theater, 1943
During the first two weeks in December 1942, Titania underwent repairs and was combat loaded at Norfolk to prepare for service in the Pacific. On 17 December, she got under way from Hampton Roads in convoy, steamed through the Panama Canal on Christmas Day, and arrived at New Caledonia on 18 January. During January and February, she operated out of Nouméa making voyages to Espiritu Santo and Guadalcanal with troops and equipment for the Guadalcanal Campaign.
The Titanias reclassification as an attack cargo ship on 1 February 1943 changed her destination to AKA-13. In the following months, she continued to carry men and materiel to the Solomons. Unloading at Guadalcanal was a hazardous business because at any time, Japanese Army warplanes might appear to attack the transports or attack nearby targets ashore. Whenever this occurred, Titania got under way as her sailors raced to their general quarters stations. When the last raider disappeared, the ship pulled back into port and resumed unloading. On 5 March, while the transport was steaming from Guadalcanal to New Caledonia with a load of disabled aircraft, an unidentified plane dropped three bombs unnervingly close to her — only 10 to 20 meters astern.
On 7 April, the Titania again got under way for the Solomons. After discharging much of her cargo at Tulagi and Gavutu, the transport moved to Lunga Point to finish unloading. In May, the Titania steamed between Nouméa and Guadalcanal and made one voyage to Efate. On the 13th, the Titania witnessed an air engagement taking place over Cape Esperance as American planes intercepted Japanese raiders attempting to approach Henderson Field.
Late in May, she arrived at Wellington, New Zealand, for maintenance work in a drydock there. She returned to Nouméa on 1 July and spent almost four months shipping military equipment, stores, and troops in the waters east of Australia.
In the last week of October, the Titania departed from Guadalcanal to rehearse the coming assault on Bougainville, the northmost of the Solomon Islands. On 1 November, she took part in Operation "Cherry Blossom," the initial landing at Cape Torokina, Bougainville. Anchored off the beach, while unloading U.S. Marines and their equipment that day, the Titania twice came under air attack. During one of these raids, her guns opened up on a "Kate" which had dropped its bombs near a destroyer and then passed over the transport group. Hit by machine gun fire from the attack transport, the Japanese plane began to smoke; then splashed several miles away. By 17:40 that evening, the Titania had finished unloading, freeing her to depart from Bougainville that night and to head for Guadalcanal.